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Everybody is born with a mission and/or purpose in life. Some find it earlier and/or easier than others.
Deion Sanders found a new mission through football when he was hired by Jackson St. as the Tigers’ head coach in 2020.
In three seasons at the helm for the Tigers, Sanders has basically single-handedly forced the world of college football to pay attention to what he’s building in Mississippi.
He’s 19-5 and just completed back-to-back thumpings of Grambling St. (66-24) and Mississippi Valley St. (49-7).
His personality, passion and commitment to the program have earned him legions of new admirers and enabled him to sign top recruits and transfers.
He understands his position and leverages his status to help his program, players and the institution of HBCU football.
From donating half of his salary to complete the football facility’s renovation and spending his own money to ensure players had a clean and safe environment during Jackson’s ongoing water crisis to calling for unity between programs to forge stronger financial foundations, Sanders is fulfilling his mission of uplifting a once proud and legendary sport that has produced some of the greatest players in NFL history.
Now his success has attracted a new form of attention, one that could pull him away from all that he’s facilitated.
Over the weekend, Georgia Tech fired head football coach Geoff Collins.
Collins was viewed as the savior of the Yellowjackets. A coach who was going to elevate the program up from the bowels of the ACC.
Instead, Collins continued the program’s descent, amassing a four-year record of 10-28.
Immediately, speculation commenced over the team’s next head coach, and Sanders’ name emerged.
He has Atlanta roots as he once dominated the secondary for the Falcons and roamed the outfield for the Braves.
And with his winning record and power to attract both attention and recruits, it makes for a perfect match.
Continue reading over at First and Pen.
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